Moves Like Jagger
by aichioluv
Summary: New student Elena was pulled into a band by the three popular guys Reno, Rude and Tseng of Ackree Fine Arts Academy. With ongoing preparations for the school annual music festival, how would Elena fare? Inspired by song "Moves Like Jagger". ElenaxReno
1. The Poster

**Moves Like Jagger**

What can I say? Adam Levine and Reno share the same trait – SMEXINESS!

No seriously, this song was stuck in my head (it still is) since last week. It was totally my happy-song while dancing my butt off with dance rehearsals and all that stuff. Yes, the story is inspired from the song "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera. Besides, once I could imagine Reno singing with the voice of Adam Levine… I simply couldn't resist the screaming fangirl in me to go with it!

**Chapter 1 – The Poster**

Elena stared at the poster in front of her. "… Mick Jagger?" She read out loud. It was a red-and-black themed poster, the famous 'Tongue and Lip' design emblazoned across the poster.

"Commemorating Ackree Fine Arts Academy's 45th Anniversary…" Elena read, skimming through the lines. "Annual Arts Exhibition and Music Concert… Theme for the year is Mick Jagger." She frowned.

Ackree Fine Arts Academy (AFAA) is a well-known fine arts university in the country. It is a small university, accepting only 500 students each year. However, it is an institute of high distinction, almost a thousand students are turned away every year. The privileged 500 students are further divided into different disciplines such as Dance, Music, Drama and Art. Each student wears a collar badge on whatever their own clothings to differentiate themselves from the different faculties.

Elena was the new student. She joined the school one month later than the rest of her cohort. She was accepted into the Arts faculty, having talent in oil painting. The first week of school was terrible. Students refused to talk to her, as if they were more elite than she was, as if she was an outsider. Elena shook her head to herself then, wondering what kind of school life would she be getting herself into.

It is the second week of school for her now. Still not many spoke to her, except Cissnei, a quiet but friendly girl who was willing to sit next to her during lectures. Elena struggled to keep her excitement for school alive, but it was hard.

"Mick Jagger, eh?" A voice spoke right beside her.

Elena jumped and turned back quickly. She came face to face with three guys, all visibly taller than her petite frame and they looked pretty aggressive as well.

"Sorry!" She squeaked and tried to walk away, but one of them held her back.

"It's okay, doll." He smiled. Elena stared at him in shock. He had scarlet red hair, tied up in a low ponytail. His fringe was kept from his face by a pair of goggles. His turquoise eyes were gentle, but there was a glint of mischief as well. "You are too small to obstruct my view anyway."

"It's totally fine, really! I'm just about to go!" Elena hated how squeaky she sounded. It's just that no one has ever spoken to her in school, and she was not exactly ready for a conversation. She glanced at the two guys behind him for help. The taller student, a tanned guy with shades on and ear piercings all around the perimeter of his ear, kept quiet.

The other student, the one with the long hair and a tilak on the centre of his forehead, seemed nicer, but just a little. "Let her go, Reno." He said, his brown eyes narrowing at him.

The redhead called Reno ignored him, his hand was still holding gently but firmly onto Elena's wrist. "Hey guys, it's for the music concert. Wanna join this time?"

"We participated last year." The tanned student said. "I thought we agreed to rest this year?"

"Yeah but it was only because we said we won't be able to find a female vocalist who has what we want…" Reno pointed at Elena. "How about her?"

Elena lost her shyness and exclaimed. "What?"

"Come on, Rude, Tseng!" Reno pleaded.

"Reno," The one with the long hair stared at him with an incredulous look. "I know you for crazy things, but grabbing a total stranger who is from _ARTS…_" He peered at the collar badge on Elena's t-shirt. "… and expecting her to sing randomly? Explain yourself."

"Tseng's right." The tanned one, whom Elena now knows is called Rude, spoke from his silence. "We can't just kidnap any random student to sing. For all we know, she's tone-deaf."

Elena flushed. "That Rude guy is correct you know? I don't think I can sing at all." Her words are met with a brief silence, and suddenly, Reno burst into laughter. "What?" She asked.

"That rude guy, that's what!" Reno smacked the back of Rude, who was not at all amused.

"Oh, sorry! I don't mean that!" She hurriedly tried to explain herself out of this madness, but Tseng held his hand to stop her.

"It's fine." Tseng shook his head. "Reno's a little crazy like that."

"Come on, Rude!" Reno slung his arm over the tall student. "You gotta admit, she is pretty interesting, huh?"

Rude looked at her. "How good is your singing?"

"Not that good?" She answered doubtfully. "I don't know. I hardly sing in the first place."

"Well, it's time to find out!" Reno decided before anyone could reply. "Let's go to the recording studio!"

"Huh? Wait!" Elena exclaimed but Reno was already pulling her away from the poster, with Rude following behind. Tseng shook his head, but followed as well.

* * *

><p>The recording studio was one of the many mini studios that music students have access to at all times. Since it was out of bounds to other students, naturally it was the first time Elena stepped into the studio. Complete with a recording room, controls and musical instruments, Elena was terribly impressed with Ackree's facilities.<p>

"So you three are music students?" She tried to create small talk with Rude, but he merely nodded and walked over to the drumset.

"Elena!" Reno walked over to her with flourish. "Take your pick!"

Elena looked around her. "Pick what?" She asked, confused.

"A song that you're familiar with." Tseng replied calmly. He was standing at the keyboard, just that there are a lot more buttons and knobs than an average piano.

"That's right." Reno agreed. "Tseng is widely versed in all kinds of music, and can play them instantly. Very talented person, but not as good as me." He grinned.

Elena frowned. "Okay… How about 'Understand'?"

Tseng shrugged. "Good choice." He proceeded to tune the keyboard.

Reno gestured Elena into the recording room, and she did… hesitatingly. He closed the door behind her, engulfing her in complete silence.

"Erm…" She looked around frantically when Reno's voice came through the speakers.

"Tseng's gonna play and you can start whenever you like, okay?" Reno said over the microphone in the control room. "Have fun." He grinned and pressed the button to switch off his microphone.

Elena gingerly walked over to the hanging microphone. "Hello?" She asked. "Can you hear me?" She felt stupid when Reno covered his ears, signaling her to slip on the headphones. Once she did that, Reno gave the thumbs up.

The instrumental music of "Understand" filled her ears, Elena smiled. Tseng did have a talent at creating the music on-the-spot. _What talent. _She thought to herself._ Oh well, I'm just going to sing whatever, prove to them that I can't sing and get the hell outta here._

She opened her mouth. "I used to think that happiness could only be something that happened to somebody else…" She trailed off as the music stopped suddenly. "What happened?" She stared into the window, where Tseng was looking at her in surprise.

Elena heard the click of a button before Reno's voice was heard over the speakers. "Nothing, please continue." She shrugged and continued singing.

* * *

><p>In the control room, Reno muted the microphone as Elena's voice filled the room. "So? Gotcha, didn't I?" Reno's grin was one full of victory and smugness.<p>

Tseng's face resumed his stoicism as he played the chords. "Where did you find her?"

"What are you talking about?" Reno grinned. "It's the first time I'm speaking to her!"

As she sang, Reno and Rude simply listened attentively at her vocals. Rude sat on the stool, pushing his sunglasses against his nose. "I find it weird that she has never had any singing experience. She's… not bad." He observed.

"Shh… she's coming out now." Shushed Reno as Elena removed her headphones.

* * *

><p>As Elena stepped out of the recording room, she smiled sheepishly. "There, I'm pretty average for you guys. May I go?"<p>

"Are you kidding me?" Reno exclaimed. He walked over to her and shook her head. She blushed at the contact. "You were awesome! Even Rude and Tseng agreed!"

Rude coughed and nodded while Tseng said, "Your voice is raw, but with three weeks left before the music concert, I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Wait a minute!" She exclaimed. "I… I don't want to be involved in the music concert!"

"Why not?" Asked Reno. "The arts exhibition will be over by then."

"Precisely!" Elena argued back. "I want to focus on my arts, not… this!" She gestured at the recording studio. "I'm clearly not talented in music nor singing, I'm new to the school but it doesn't mean that I'm stupid!" She glared at the three boys. "The students in my own faculty refuses to speak to the new kid, much less students from other disciplines!"

Her words were met with silence, but this time none of them were laughing. Reno sighed. "Oh doll…"

"Don't call me 'doll'." She warned Reno. "My name is Elena."

"Okay fine. I'm Reno, this is Rude and Tseng." He gestured to the other two. "We are second year students in AFAA and we've always been looking for a good female vocalist."

She shook her head in disbelief. "Why me? There are tons of female music students out there better than me!"

"Not what we want." Rude said bluntly.

Tseng nodded at Rude. "Believe it or not, we haven't found any girl who has the voice that we want." He stared at her. "I believe… I want to believe that you are the vaguest example of what we want."

Reno started fidgeting in his place. "Please, Laney?"

Elena made a face at him. "What 'Laney'?"

Reno grinned. "My nickname for you?"

Elena rolled her eyes at them. "I still don't get what you all are up to but… if my inclusion is really important for you then…" She frowned hard at the microphone in the recording room. "… Alright."

"YES!" Reno shouted with joy. "Oh man! We're gonna rock the concert, yo?" Turning to Elena, he grinned. "You're the greatest! I'm so happy that I'll be your artist assistant or something!"

She raised her eyebrow at him. "Come on… You have no idea how tiring it is to do a painting."

Reno scoffed, tossing his red hair. "How hard can it get?"

* * *

><p>Reno mumbled behind Elena, mixing oils and solvents of sorts. "Okay, so it's a little hard." He furrowed his brow and tried to pour the liquids together without destroying anything.<p>

Elena snorted. It has been a few days since her encounter with Reno, Rude and Tseng. Reno has learnt (the hard way) that painting was not as easily as he claimed. "It's only 3 hours since I started, you know." She smiled.

"Yeah, but all you did was pick a canvas sheet, draw some picture on a piece of paper, transferred that over to the canvas using that squarish paper… and you've barely touched your paints yet!" Reno complained.

Elena turned around. "Firstly, it's a _grid-paper_. I need it to translate the size of the smaller sketch to the canvas. Secondly, 3 hours is quite fast for an oil painter. Do you know it takes hours and days before a piece of painting is complete?"

Reno shook his head, sitting on the floor in defeat. "Fine, so it's tedious to do art. Music is so much easier." He leant back and reached for his guitar. "Any song request?"

Elena shrugged. "You know that I don't really like music."

"What a shame." Reno murmured. "I've never seen a creature like you."

"Hey!" Elena cried, grinning. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Reno, Elena." Tseng appeared at the doorway of Elena's art studio. Like music students have access to their recording studio, art students are able to rent their art studio for days, up to a week.

"Hey Tseng!" She greeted cheerfully.

Over the past week, she had gotten to know the three guys better. Tseng was a serious man, but he was indeed a talented one. Elena thought that he was quite a stern person to talk to, because he often spoke of work and seriousness. Rude was silent, choosing to observe rather than participate. Often, Elena wondered what was going on in his head. She also marvelled how he was able to flick the drumsticks on the drums perfectly. Reno well… he is as crazy as he can get. She couldn't find any other word to describe him.

One thing she never realized was that Reno, Rude and Tseng were three very, very popular guys in AFAA. She cringed at the thought of the very first time she was seen in the canteen with the three guys. Suddenly she felt all eyes on her. Elena could almost feel jealousy from some girls who were from Music. If looks could kill… Elena would be stabbed every few minutes.

"Ignore them." She remembered Rude telling her. "They're all here for Reno's attention anyway." She shrugged, her mind devising of ways to show that she was included in the group by force.

"Yoo-hoo, Laney!" Reno's voice broke into her thoughts.

"Huh, what?" She snapped out of her thoughts and stared at Reno.

Reno shook his head at her. "Tseng was just done with the lyrics of our song!"

"Our… song?"

"Yeah! We only do originals for large-scale concerts like this." Reno grinned. "Read it!" He passed the paper to her.

She turned to Tseng. "You wrote all these?"

"Yes." He nodded.

Reno gave Tseng a pat on the back. "Tseng wrote the lyrics, but I made it awesome!" Elena gave Tseng a questioning look, who explained that what Reno meant was that he added some more into the song to give it a little spice.

As she read it, her face grew skeptical. "It doesn't make sense." She handed it back to Reno. "Moves like Jagger?"

"Yeah!" Reno stood up and did some weird, leg-shaking movement. "Everyone wants to have moves like Mick Jagger!"

Elena narrowed her eyes at him before turning back to her canvas. "I'm pretty sure that people want to have moves like Michael Jackson… and even I, the music-idiot, know that."

She saw that Tseng covered his smile with his hand and she giggled as well. Only Reno wasn't amused.

"There's nothing wrong with the lyrics!" He insisted.

"Yeah… 'You say I'm a kid, my ego is big, I don't give a shit'. That's poetic, alright." She grinned.

"I must say, Reno… Elena is quite capable of differentiating between my lyrics and yours." Tseng said calmly, though his brown eyes glinted with the slightest hint of mischief.

Elena slapped on some tan-coloured paint on the canvas. "But I'm good with whatever you've got. What am I supposed to do?"

"Here." Tseng passed the lyrics to Elena again. "Your solo."

Her eyes widened. "Solo?"

Tseng nodded. Elena groaned and wondered how she'd allowed herself to get into this mess.

* * *

><p>I admit. I usually am quite prepared for stories. I write with the vision of how it'll end, and most of the structure in between would've been completed. THIS is an exception. I am terribly UNPREPARED for this story! Please don't shoot me for the lack of depth for this story and the ton of potential loopholes!<p>

As for oil painting, I'm no expert. I just read up a little on what's the process like. If there are any mistakes I made, please forgive me!

I want to get this chapter out in the open so that I am (forced to) finish the story before I chicken out XD That being said, I'm currently writing a multi-chapter story (which is supposed to be a non-commitment project but I have no idea why I'm updating every week!). If you're interested, please head over and read **"I Want To Be A Turk!"**

Don't worry, this is a short story, I promise =P

Okay, I won't guarantee that this story will finish over the next week or something. I'll try to finish it up by October though =3 Note. I'll TRY.

Please! Read and review! If you haven't heard of the song… don't listen to it? But if you do, I don't blame you. It is SUCH an AWESOME SONG!


	2. The Preparations

**Moves Like Jagger**

**Chapter 2 – The Preparations**

Preparations began way before Elena finished her painting. Reno would help Elena with her art piece in the morning. At noon, they would join Rude and Tseng for lunch. After that, while she returned to her painting, Reno would join his two friends to the recording studio.

On their first practice session, even though she wasn't required to attend (since no vocals are needed), Elena followed them to the music room, more out of curiosity than commitment.

"How does it all begin?" She asked Rude while they were walking into the lobby of the music school. The recording studios are on level 5 of the building. Rude raised an eyebrow at her. "I mean…" She stammered. "Does it all begin with a musical score? Or does Tseng record some music first so that you can work on it?"

Rude pushed his sunglasses against his nose (Elena often wondered why he never took them off). "It's a bit of both." He answered. "Tseng is talented in musical composition so the scores are available pretty early. Once we get the general feel of the song, we record into his synthesizer and then Tseng will continue to edit and mix the song till we're satisfied."

He glanced at Elena when she offered no reply. She coughed. "N-Nothing," She said hastily. "It's just that I've never seen you speak so much in one go." She explained lamely.

"You asked a question." Pointed Rude.

"What Rude is saying is that we record bits and pieces of the base music, like the sound effects and such." Reno interrupted before Elena could find a reply. "We layer the sounds like… like lasagna!" The redhead licked his lips. "I think I know what to have for dinner!"

He opened the door… to a group of 5 students using the room.

"Opps, sorry, wrong room." Reno apologized lightly.

"Get the hell outta here!" One of them shouted out. "We're working here!"

They promptly closed the door.

"It's the room next to it." Rude stated simply.

Reno groaned and walked to the room next to it. "Couldn't Tseng just wait another 5 more minutes for us?" He complained, referring to Tseng leaving the canteen 5 minutes before they did so that he could prepare for the session. Reno's hand paused at the doorknob. "This the one?" Reno asked hopefully. He opened the unlocked door and walked in to see Tseng setting up his synthesiser. "Yeah, this the one!" He grinned.

Elena peered in. It was not the same room where she sang a week ago. "You guys booked it?" She asked, touching the softboard walls.

"For a week." Replied Tseng, adjusting the knobs of his own synthesizer. "You don't have to be here." He stared at Elena, his brown eyes contemplative.

Elena tried not to blush under his gaze. "I was just interested to see how things work around here… you know… Music and Art are kinda different."

"No they're not." Tseng replied coolly. "In this case, the way we do things is a lot similar to how you do your oil painting." Elena stared at him with confusion but Tseng didn't elaborate further. "Ready whenever you are, Reno."

Reno walked over to his guitar bag. Unzipping it, he revealed an electric guitar, scarlet and complete with a glossy finish. "This," He showed the guitar to Elena with flourish. "Is my wife!" He hugged it. "The most beautiful thing in this room!"

Tseng wasn't amused. "Let's get on with this, please." He said politely.

Reno shrugged, but walked into the recording room. He plugged the cable from the amplifier to his electric guitar and after switching on the amplifier, he adjusted the knobs and plucked a few strings. Once he seemed satisfied, he gave a thumbs-up and began strumming the base notes of the song. It had a light, electro-pop feel. He played some parts and then he paused, under Tseng's cue. Then he played some more and paused. Sometimes he had to repeat a few more times. Elena was confused.

"Reno doesn't actually play his guitar during performances." Rude answered the silent question in her mind.

"Really? But… It's a live performance, isn't it?" Elena scratched her ear. "Kinda like cheating, no?"

The bald student grunted in response. "Some tones need to be prepared before the actual performance. Our style is not like the other groups." He folded his arms and stared ahead. "Most bands jam their stuff. The main tune comes from the guitar. But we have the synthesizer. With the synth, the guitar can create many different tunes to form one tune." As the door opened and Reno stepped out, Rude added. "You'll see."

"How was it?" Reno asked.

Tseng opened a few windows on the laptop and began highlighting and editing the voice waves in the program. "It's fine." He replied nonchalantly. "Once the general feel is agreed by all, Reno can begin recording the whole song." Soon, he saved the file and clicked 'Play'. "Listen."

The music that came out was much different than what Elena imagined it to be. The multi-layered music made the song more three-dimensional instead of a flat tone.

_Just like oil painting._ Elena thought. _We paint our colours, one layer upon another. They create their songs, one layer after another._ She closed her eyes, now understanding how similar they can be.

At the end of the short mix, Elena sighed. "Wow." Elena said under her breath. "Tseng did that in a few minutes?"

"Told ya he's a genius!" Reno boasted proudly, slinging an arm over Tseng.

Tseng simply shrugged him off. "It's simple mixing for now." He explained. "With more work, it'll be better." He looked at Elena. "We aren't just any ordinary music band, I suppose." He cleared his throat. "In the loosest terms possible, we are more of a… performance group."

Seeing the confusion on Elena's face, Reno stepped up to explain. "That means we do most of the base work on the synth, and then on the actual day, we perform more than we actually play the instruments!"

"That's only for Reno, actually." Rude cut in. "Tseng and I still play our instruments, that is why there isn't much to be done for us right now."

"But…" She peered at Reno. "But your guitar-playing is fine, isn't it?"

Reno grinned. "This is called…Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon!"

Tseng shook his head. "You are not helping, Reno." He answered for Elena. "It means that Reno doesn't like to show his talent in public. He… is better than fine, actually."

"What's that?" Reno nudged Tseng. "Did I hear a compliment from the poker-face Tseng?"

Tseng turned back to his controls. "Ready whenever you are, Reno." Was his simple response.

* * *

><p>Reno was, in his own words, "desperate for Laney to join them in the concert". True to his word, he was desperate enough to help Elena with her oil painting. Every morning, he would appear at the art studio at 8 in the morning to help mix the solvents. Thanks to his help, she managed to finish her work 5 days early.<p>

"I don't believe this." She stared at the work in front of her. "It's… done."

"With 5 days left to spare." Reno grinned.

Elena turned to Reno. "Thank you." She mumbled.

"No problem, doll."

The sun was setting while they were in the studio and they sat on the floor quietly, admiring the completed piece of painting.

"Laney."

"What?" She narrowed her eyes at him. She never allowed Reno to call her that way, though he never seemed to understand it.

"Your painting is beautiful." He said.

She couldn't help breaking into a smile. "Thanks." She said. "But then again, if it wasn't good I wouldn't be accepted into AFAA (Ackree Fine Arts Academy), isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Reno said. They were silent for another brief moment when Reno asked again. "Laney."

"What is it now?" She made a face at him.

"Why is it that you're so afraid of music?"

The words threw her off-guard. "What are you talking about, Reno?" She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I don't like music, I'm a music-idiot."

"No you're not." Reno stared at her brown eyes directly and Elena looked away quickly. "Your voice tells me that it's raw, but not from the lack of talent, but the lack of opportunity."

She stiffened and gripped the edges of her skirt tightly. "You're not making sense." She laughed.

"I'm trying to say that your voice is not raw. You… you definitely have sung before." His eyes were gazing into hers, as if asking for eye contact.

Elena didn't give it to him. "I sing in the shower, if that's what you mean." She said lightly. "And it sounds good because of the reverberation."

Reno held her arm and didn't let go when she tried to wriggle free. "Elena." He said seriously. "You think Tseng and Rude would allow a completely new singer in the band just like that?" His grip was tight, but his eyes were gentle. "We all saw something in you that you…" He faltered a little. "That you used to see in yourself too."

"…" Elena fell silent at his words and she stopped struggling.

Reno loosened his grip, but just a little. "What happened?" He said softly.

Elena didn't reply him immediately, but he was patient. "… I used to take singing lessons." She said. Reno was silent, choosing to stare at the painting. "I… I went up onstage for a competition and I failed."

"You mean you lost the competition?"

"No, I…" She covered her face in embarrassment. "I chickened out. I realized that I didn't feel prepared enough… And ran out of the stage."

Reno's face was incredulous. "You mean you didn't even sing at all?" He asked slowly.

Elena gave a sheepish laugh. "I was really nervous." She explained.

"You've got to be joking." Reno cursed. "What kind of idiot does that?"

Elena reddened. "Fine!" She retorted. "I am an idiot, say whatever you want." She looked away. "I've been trying to avoid singing since then because I simply cannot bring the courage to sing… I'm really not good." Her hands gripped the hem of her skirt tightly. "That's why I'm so tentative about singing for you guys. I… What if I chicken out again?"

She felt his intense gaze on her for a minute, then suddenly he stood up. Reno grabbed the guitar behind him. He carried it everywhere he went, and gladly brought it out to play random tunes whenever he felt like it. "Come on." He grinned at her.

_That's just so Reno._ Elena thought to herself. _Just saying incomplete sentences like that._ "Come on, what?" She asked.

"Sing me the song that you intended to sing."

"No way…"

"Please? It's just between you and me. I really want to hear you sing." Reno grinned. "I won't laugh, I promise."

Elena peered at his face, contemplating his words. Finally, she sighed. "Fine, but only because you're here… I sang 'What A Girl Wants'."

Reno raised his eyebrows. "You… You seem to like songs from Christina Aguilera, huh?"

Elena shrugged. "The only songs I knew before I… stopped." She stretched out her hand, as if to stop Reno. "Erm… let's sing the chorus… and less… upbeat." She said shyly.

"No problem." Picking up the guitar, Reno tried a few chords till he found the original chord for the song. "Take it away, Elena."

The chords were indeed mellow and slow. Elena smiled at the memory, but only briefly. "What a girl wants, what a girl needs," She sang softly. "Whatever makes me happy and sets you free. And I'm thanking you for knowing exactly what a girl wants, what a girl needs, whatever keeps me in your arms, and I'm thanking you for being there for me."

As Elena sang, she felt her heart lighter and she felt more daring to sing louder. At the end of the chorus, Reno broke into a wide smile. "Not bad." He commented lightly.

Elena shook her head. "It's been a while since I sang this song. I'm just singing it slowly."

"How do you feel?"

"Huh?"

Reno sat down with the guitar, its strap still slung over his shoulder. "After singing. How do you feel, Elena?"

"Kinda… Liberating." Elena admitted. "It has been a song that I needed to get out of my system yet…" She trailed off, not knowing how to phrase her words.

"Bingo." He pointed a hand gesture like a gun at her. "That's the power of music." He closed his eyes and smiled, as if imparting philosophy to a disciple. "You don't fight it. You allow music to overwhelm you, to fill every part of your soul. Sometimes the music makes you wanna play an instrument, so that's why people drum imaginary drums and do air guitars. Sometimes music makes you wanna dance, that's why people bob their heads and sway to the beat." Reno leaned forward a little so that he is making full eye contact with Elena. "Sometimes, music makes you want to sing," He said, grinning. "That's why people hum tunes and sing to their hearts' content."

Elena stared back at him, there was something in his tone that she couldn't figure out but before she could think further, Reno stood up again. "Reno…" She muttered, not really understanding what he meant earlier on.

"All I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't resist singing." He grinned. "Embrace it, and all the fears that go along with it. Be brave to sing to your heart's content and you'll enjoy yourself."

Elena frowned. "I'm still not too sure…"

Reno waved it off. "You know what, Laney?" He grinned. "Since you did me such an awesome service of letting me listen to your singing," He said, patting his guitar. "I shall return you the favour."

Elena smiled. "Thanks but you know that I don't really know many songs."

"Trust me, you'll know this one." He grinned. He propped a leg on a chair, and poised ready for performance. "The true, blue, Reno." He announced. "No synth, just guitar and my voice."

Elena sat straighter and smiled at him.

Reno started whistling and Elena immediately recognized it as the song that they were going to perform a week from now, "Moves Like Jagger". She noticed how pitch-perfect even his whistling was. But when he started playing the guitar, she stared at him, her mouth open. Reno was whistling perfectly fine even with the guitar. He smirked at her reaction.

"Just shoot for the stars… if it feels right and aim for my heart… if you feel like…"

It was the first time Elena heard Reno sing. When Reno talks, it had a light, mischievous tone to it, but when he sings… She couldn't even describe it. It sounded gentle, but it wasn't… airy?

She thought back on how her singing teacher used to describe her singing. Airiness… A voice that didn't sound full and strong. She promptly refused to take singing lessons after the competition. _It's been almost 12 years since I used these terms. _She mused.

_Reno's voice… is simply unique. _Elena thought. _I can't even place a singer that sounds like that… Then again, it's not like that I know many singers. _(A/N: Aw COME ON, you know which singer I would place Reno's voice under, right? Look at my author notes at the start of Chapter 1!)

She watched his slender fingers play the instrument, jumping to another chord at some parts of the song. When Reno stopped after the first chorus, she felt like she was in a trance. Elena looked at him. "You… You're not going to sing the whole song?" She asked.

"You only sang a chorus for me, you know." Reno smirked. "Is my voice that good to hear?"

Elena blushed and shook her head. "It's fine." She replied, using Tseng's words. "But thanks for singing." She said.

"Exclusive for you, Elena." He grinned.

Elena looked away. No one has ever said such things to her and she didn't know how to respond. Reno didn't seem to notice. Instead he wriggled out of the guitar strap and placed the guitar back into its guitar bag. A brief silence fell between the two of them, but Elena quickly broke it.

"So how are you going to sing swear words onstage?"

"What?" Reno turned to her and gave a puzzled look.

Elena rolled her eyes. "You say I'm a kid, my ego is big, I don't give a shit."

"Oh. That." Reno grinned. "I'll decide on the actual day, I guess. I can do whatever I want. Maybe I'll just sing 'I don't give a care', 'I don't give a crap', 'I don't give a damn', 'I don't give a f-'"

"Okay okay, I get your point." Elena cut in.

* * *

><p>Sorry folks.<p>

I promised that it'll be short, but as I wrote, more subplots came so… hehehe. We're looking at 5 chapters here. Hope you guys don't mind!

Yeah, so far this story is turning out fine! Hang in there for the next chapter… Perhaps I'll upload one every month 0_o Yeah, kinda crazy but school has been tiring.

Kk, Imma go upload this chapter. Keep rocking, readers!


	3. The Predicament

**Moves Like Jagger**

To anyone who's interested, I do post random stuff on a writing blog of mine. It usually includes some author notes I made. Feel free to check it out at aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com. No pressure, of course =)

**Chapter 3 – The Predicament**

"How come there isn't a bass?"

Rude looked at Elena questioningly. "You mean…?"

"Don't most bands have a bass guitarist?" Elena stretched on the bench along the corridor of Level 5. While Reno and Tseng were inside the room recording the music, Elena and Rude stepped out of the recording studio to grab a cup of coffee.

Rude cleared his throat. "I'm the bass guitarist."

Elena stared at Rude. "Really, now." She commented, taking a sip from the Styrofoam cup.

"I fare better at the drums, but I provide the bass for the songs." He answered. "After Reno is done with the basic melody, it'll be my turn for the bass. Tseng will record and do the rest."

"Huh… So why isn't there a bass guitarist?" She wondered aloud. "You won't need to do extra work."

There was a brief pause from the band's drummer. "We used to have one. She… She left."

"Your bass guitarist was a girl?" Elena asked. "She must be really good if you guys used her in your band."

"Yes…" Rude nodded. "She was one of her kind."

For a moment, Elena saw the smallest change in facial expression in the usually stoic drummer. But as soon as it came, it left his face, like a passing shadow. Rude pushed his sunglasses against his nose and changed the subject. "I heard from Reno that you are done with your painting."

Elena grinned. "Yesterday!" She gave a thumbs-up at him. "Now I can focus more on this music project!"

"I appreciate that." Was his simple reply.

They walked towards the door of the recording studio. Before his hand could touch the door knob, the door swung open. Reno and Tseng walked out into the corridor.

"We're done with the recording for now." Tseng said. "We'll resume after lunch."

"Alright." Elena nodded, walking into the studio room to pick up her bag. "See you guys later or something."

"Not joining us for lunch, Elena?" Reno asked.

"Nah. I'm meeting a friend for lunch." Elena waved and left.

* * *

><p>The canteen in the Arts faculty was bustling full of students' chatter about their projects and exhibition. Elena was sitting with Cissnei as usual. She has grown to like the quiet but caring girl, though Cissnei had her own eccentricities. She talked freely one-to-one, but in a group, Cissnei clammed up and refused to speak much. Furthermore, she never wore short-sleeved clothing, no matter how hot the weather was.<p>

Also, when Elena first told Cissnei about being dragged into the band, Cissnei behaved normally, but her eyes were full of emotion… a negative kind of emotion, as if Cissnei hated one of them, or maybe all of them. Elena never probed, but one thing she knew for sure. Cissnei is quiet on the surface, but her eyes tell Elena a different story.

Soon after they sat down with their plates, Tseng walked over. "Elena." He placed a CD and a few pieces of paper on the table.

Elena set down her spoon with surprise. "Tseng!" She said. "What are you doing here?"

"Passing you the CD sampler and the lyrics." Tseng replied. "About time we get to work on your part." He added, "Please be in the studio by 4 p.m. today." He turned but he saw Cissnei sitting at the same table. He dipped his head slightly then, he walked away.

Elena quickly kept the CD and papers. She stared at Cissnei, who was quiet and her head was turned away but before Elena could speak, a throng of girls surrounded her.

"Was that Tseng from Laser Lou!"

"How did you get to know him?"

"What is your relationship with him?"

The blonde stared at the endless amount of questions thrown at her. She could only stare at Cissnei helplessly. "I…" She stammered.

Cissnei stood up and grabbed her arm. "Elena," She said urgently. "We need to meet Professor Gast now, right? Better go before we're late." Before Elena could utter another word, Cissnei pulled her away from the crowd and they escaped the canteen and the bevy of stunned girls.

Their brisk walk slowed down and Elena mumbled. "Th-Thank you, Cissnei."

Cissnei frowned behind her, where the cafeteria was at. "You _do_ know that getting close to Laser Lou will get you into trouble, right?" She asked.

Elena stared at Cissnei with surprise. "What?" She asked. "I don't really understand."

Cissnei's brown-red eyes were fixated on Elena. "You mean you have no idea…?" She bit her lip and sighed when Elena shook her head. "Oh Gaia." She pulled Elena to a bench, sitting her down. "Do you need explanations?"

"Clearly." Elena frowned. "What's with Laser Loo?"

"L-O-U." Cissnei corrected her. "You're kidding." She stared at Elena with disbelief. "You don't know the name of the band you're in? Gosh." Cissnei drummed her fingers on the table. "Laser Loud is a band by Reno, Rude and Tseng. Re, Tse, Ru." She counted with her fingers. "Therefore, 'Laser Lou'." (A/N: In Japanese, the 'r' consonant is pronounced as 'l' so you should sound it like 'le-tse lu'… thus it sounds like Laser Lou. I know it's not in Japan but I can't help it!)

"Laser Lou." Elena repeated. "What a weird name."

"Reno came up with it." Cissnei smiled.

"Why am I not surprised." Elena remarked. "Wait… why do you know so much about them?"

"They've been around for a long time." The redhead explained. "The three of them were high-school friends and the band was formed then. They were popular. Insanely popular."

Remembering the disconcerting stares from neighbouring watchful eyes everytime she dines with the three guys, Elena asked. "Their fan club isn't friendly, I suppose?"

Cissnei showed a flicker of a grim smile. "Unfriendly is an understatement."

"Why aren't the guys doing anything about it?" Elena exclaimed. "Or tell a teacher about it?"

The quiet look from her friend was answer enough, but Cissnei replied anyway. "Nobody dared to. We… We're afraid of what else that could happen." She said.

Elena noticed that her hand involuntarily moved to her shoulder. "Cissnei…" She asked gravely."What does 'we' mean?"

For a moment the quiet girl did not speak. Elena thought about probing the question again when Cissnei pulled at the collar of her sweater to reveal a horrible, ugly scar. It stretches all the way behind the fabric. Cissnei then pulled up her long-sleeves to reveal the ugly burn that ended only at her forearm. Elena gasped.

"I…" Cissnei said softly as she covered her wound again. "I used to be a bass guitarist in Laser Lou. Back in high school." Elena sat in silence, taking in all of Cissnei's words. "The girls…" Her mouth pulled into a tight line. "They say it was an accident that the chemicals were spilled onto my back but…"

Elena reached out for Cissnei's hand, her heart was pounding at the information. "Cissnei…" She uttered. "It's terrible!"

"They say that it was an accident, but a few know better. Whoever who is not a part of their fan club, who got close to any of the guys… will be warned." She didn't look at Elena, choosing to focus on a space to Elena's left. "I was unable to play the bass for a month because the bass guitar strap will hurt my wound, but it was fine anyway. I had enough of their threats. The threatening letters and accidental shoving was tolerable, but…" Her hands clenched into tight fists.

"I…" Elena tried to say something appropriate, but word failed her. At that moment, when her shock wore off, she remembered what Rude said to her earlier.

_So Cissnei was the bass guitarist that 'left' their band. _Elena thought.

"Rude spoke highly of you, you know?" Elena smiled at her.

Cissnei looked up with surprise. "He did?" She smiled back. "He was always the nice one, he usually complies with Reno's nonsense. Reno and I never got along, but not in a bad way." Elena laughed. "And Tseng is probably the most serious out of the three of them." Cissnei trailed off sadly. "After the incident, I didn't want to talk to them anymore. Just told them that I wanted to be out of Laser Lou. Reno tried to find out why but Tseng and Rude… they honoured my request by ignoring me."

"Cissnei…" Elena pleaded. "They'll be more than glad to have you back, you know that."

Shaking her head, Cissnei said, "There's always a season for everything. I had my fun jamming with Laser Lou, but they've moved on and I've moved on. Playing in a band was merely an interest, because my true ambition is still in arts." She looked at Elena. "When I first heard that you were pulled into the band, I admit… I felt a little jealous. I… I wanted to be in your shoes… but don't worry!" She frantically waved her hands in front of her. "I really don't mind now. In fact, I was worried that the girls would harm you. Thank goodness that nothing happened to you so far." She smiled warmly at Elena. "I'm surprised to hear that you can sing."

"Reno insisted that I could, but I'm not too sure myself."

"I'm looking forward to watching you perform two weeks from now!"

Elena grinned. "You'll come support us? Please, please come!"

Cissnei nodded. "Elena…"

* * *

><p><em>I can't stop you from performing with Laser Lou, but please be careful.<em> Cissnei's words resonated in Elena's head.

"Cissnei…" She uttered, her heart ached at the predicament of her friend. "You did like being in Laser Lou, didn't you?" Remembering the flicker of sadness that passed Rude's face at the mention of their ex-bassist, Elena thought to herself. _They liked you being in Laser Lou, as well._

A sickeningly saccharine voice interrupted her thoughts. "Renooo…" The voice whined. "You said that you would accompany us to sing karaoke today!"

Elena looked ahead and spotted Reno surrounded by a group of fawning girls. She recognized one or two of them who questioned her in the cafeteria after Tseng left. She turned and was about to walk away when Reno noticed her.

"Elena!" He waved enthusiastically. He turned to the girls. "Sorry, but today I've got a music practice with the band, you know how busy practices can get, right?" He walked to Elena. "Let's go."

"Aww…" The girls sighed with disappointment, but one of them wasn't fooled.

"Why is it that she could go with you?" She pouted, pointing at Elena.

Reno gave her a charming smile. "Because she's important to our practice."

"Reno's so mean!" The girls chorused. "We wanna watch you practise too!"

"You can watch me all you like during the performance." He winked. "Come on, Elena." He walked off and Elena, not wanting to see loathing glares from the girls, immediately followed after.

They brisk-walked for a short distance before Reno slowed down. "Man, that was close." He commented.

"Huh." Elena observed. "So someone's concern and kindness is but a façade?"

"Hey, it's not what you think." Reno rejoined. "I'm a nice guy, it's just that they're a little too aggressive for me… Not counting the fact that they were the group of girls who…" He trailed off. "Nevermind."

"Who what?" Elena probed.

Reno checked his surroundings and spoke in a whisper. "Two years ago, we had a bass guitarist…"

"Cissnei?"

Reno looked genuinely surprised. "You know her?" Elena nodded and briefly told him about the happenings in the morning. "Damn…" He swore. "I never even realized that she was in this school. She's that low profile now?" He looked at her. "You've got to bring me to her, yo? I don't understand why she needed to avoid us like the plague after high school."

Elena nodded, smiling. "Rude shared the same sentiments too."

A snide smile appeared on Reno's face, but he did not comment further. "I'm heading back to the studio." He said, pointing at the music building just ahead. "You?"

"Oh, I was about to head back to my studio. Packing up and submitting my work for the arts festival." Elena replied.

"Not bad, huh? Finishing your work four days before the actual exhibition." Reno smirked.

"Yeah yeah, it's all thanks to you. Catch ya later." She waved.

They departed to their respective locations, but there were many thoughts that invaded Elena's mind. She walked through the Arts Building, her head buzzing full of thoughts but ultimately she decided that she wanted to help Cissnei reconcile with the group.

_Most definitely after the music performance… _Elena thought. _When this fiasco dies down._ She exited the lift and walked down the corridor. _I'll leave and go back to my quiet life, and Cissnei gets to play for Laser Lou again!_

_Back in my studio._ She stared at the door and reached for the handle. _Better pack up and then submit my… _The words failed her as she opened the door and stared at what was in front of her.

The painting was ruined.

Elena walked in slowly… and reached out for what once was her completed oil painting. The layers of semi-dry oil paint were carved with threats such as "Leave Laser Lou alone!" and "Attention Seeker!". The canvas was totally destroyed; there was nothing that Elena could do to salvage the artwork.

She stared at the canvas for a long time, her fingers touching the mutilated layers of oil painting, semi-dry due to the wet-on-wet technique. The studio was deathly silent as details and suspicions dawned upon her.

She bit her lip. A whole week of hard work now stood before her in tatters. With only 4 days to the exhibition, Elena simply don't have time to redo another painting. Oil painting takes a very long time to dry.

Elena took out her cell phone and sent a short text message to Cissnei, explaining the situation in her studio. Cissnei was busy working on her mosaic and Elena felt bad for imposing on her schedule but Elena needed someone to talk to. Cissnei is the only person whom she trusts.

With the text message sent, Elena screamed and vented her anger by pounding her fists on the floor. "How could they do this to me?" She yelled. "What wrong did I do to them?" The next few minutes the studio was full of her screaming and eventually, when the anger subsided into tears, she laid flat on the floor, breathing heavily.

_Perhaps I should just give up._

The text message ringtone told Elena that Cissnei has returned her text message. She reached for the cell phone lazily and checked her new message:

_What the intruder did is simply unforgivable, however we cannot conclude for sure that the intruders are the girls in Laser Lou fan club. But we can discuss this another time. For now, your artwork is a bigger issue._

_I'm not an expert on oil painting, but why don't you try using acrylic paint as a base instead? Paint your necessary colours then the last two layers will be oil paint? I know it's not exactly oil painting, but I guess this is my best suggestion to you. Hope things are alright over there. Do you want me to come over?_

Elena chided herself for wanting to give up before the others did. "It's just like my singing competition… all over again." She murmured. Then, she remembered what Reno said yesterday: Embrace singing, and all the fears with it.

_I love oil painting. Yet, I'm giving up just because some stranger ruined it intentionally? That doesn't bring my painting any justice… doesn't bring my singing any justice._

"Acrylic paint…" Elena murmured. A great substitute for oil paint, what used to take days and months to dry now only took minutes. Sure it won't be a traditional oil painting, but she isn't complaining, not with 4 days before the exhibition.

"Thanks for your help…" Elena muttered as she replied Cissnei's text. "Focus on your artwork. I shall take up your suggestion and redo the painting."

Elena punched the 'Send' button. Then she quietly took out the canvas and replaced it with a brand new canvas. She began to draw the gridlines again, but this time her heart was not anxious nor angry. Elena learnt the hard way that art cannot be done with an anxious heart. She needed to be peaceful inside.

Elena thought of the days when Reno was in the art studio, mixing the linseed oil and various colours and complaining on how precise he needed to be to obtain a good consistency. She would tease him in response. In the span of merely weeks, they spent a lot of time, sharing many jokes and stories together. Those days were unmistakably fun and despite the distractions from the lazy music student, Elena could paint without burden.

She hummed a song while mixing the paints, eventually started singing as she painted. Truth was, she still sang. But she did it in the privacy of her own studio, where no one can hear her. She tried not to sing in front of Reno while he was helping out, but the truth was, Elena loved to sing.

_Reno…_ She mused. _This time, I'm not going to chicken out and run from the stage. I'll take up the microphone and sing. Likewise, I won't give up just because my painting was sabotaged. Even if I were to fail, I will give this new painting a shot._

_There is still hope._

* * *

><p>Done in the style of author redcherryamber…<p>

Thank you for reading.

Special thanks to: Belize, a friend of mine who took art. She provided me with some help relating to oil paintings and suggested the alternative, faster method which is acrylic painting.


	4. The Problem

**Moves Like Jagger**

Hi all, after some mulling I realized that the school name "Ackee" stuck in my head better than "Ackree". Initially I wanted Ackee but I thought it sounded like 'icky' :P But now that I'm so used to saying "Ackee", I shall conveniently change it so. =P

So yes… the school name is Ackee Fine Arts Academy, or AFAA or Ackee :) Is it important? That depends… but it's too early to reveal anything so for now… just sit back and enjoy!

**Chapter 4 – The Problem**

"Are you sure that this is your final product, Elena?" Professor Lucrecia Crescent raised an eyebrow at her student.

Elena flushed and answered truthfully, "I did my best."

Lucrecia Crescent glanced at Elena's oil painting, an undeniably a good job but something was amiss. It was as though as Elena was only given 3 days to do her painting. The pretty professor frowned. If the other students had submitted such work, she wouldn't have second thoughts, but this was Elena's oil painting. Being one of the professors who hand-picked her to further her oil painting education in Ackee, Lucrecia expected better.

She crosses her arms and stared at her student. "Elena…" She asked gently. "Is there anything that happened recently that maybe I should know about?"

Her student looked at her, her eyes showed that there was more than what met the eye. Nevertheless, Elena kept mum. "Dr. Crescent, I appreciate your concern. I assure you that there is nothing for you to worry about." She patted her painting. "This is not my best painting, I admit." She smiled sadly. "I'll do better next time."

Lucrecia wanted to probe further but decided against it. "Please put your painting in the corner over there." She pointed at her adjoining storeroom. "Your painting will be graded after the exhibition tomorrow." She turned back to her papers. "Have fun tomorrow."

Elena carried her painting, covered with blank newsprint, into the professor's storeroom. Then she walked out of the office, sighing at her unspoken injustice.

* * *

><p>To Elena's surprise, the art exhibition passed without disturbance. Elena checked her painting hourly for any sabotages on her painting, but there were none.<p>

"Maybe this is the last that I'll hear from them." Said Elena to Cissnei. "After all, their plans to stop me from submitting my painting did not work out." She smiled cheerfully. "After this performance I'm returning to my quiet life and I'll no longer be a threat to the Laser Lou fan club."

Cissnei looked thoughtful. "I hope you're right, Elena. For your sake."

To the surprise of the Arts students and Elena herself, Reno, Tseng and Rude visited the exhibition as well, a little after lunchtime. Tseng and Tude were considerate enough to not draw attention to themselves, but Reno, when he saw Elena in the short distance, waved excitedly and called out her name.

"What a surprise to see you here." Elena exclaimed as they walked up to each other. She tried to avoid the curious glances from her coursemates and smiled at Tseng. "No practice today?"

"We took a break to visit you." Answered Rude. "That's the very least we can do to show our support." Elena beamed and thanked them.

"Laney, where's the original painting?" Reno asked, standing in front of her oil painting. It was a simple classic lip design painted with psychedelic colours. "The painting that we did together was a hot chick sticking her tongue out like the Rolling Stones design."

The blonde narrowed her eyes at him. "The way you described my painting makes it sound so sleazy. Anyway…" She clenched her teeth briefly. "I didn't like it, so I redid it."

"You've got to be crazy." Reno shook his head. "I liked that one much better."

Elena shrugged. It was time to change the topic. "Cissnei's work is just over there." She jerked a thumb to the right. "Go check it out."

"We sure will." Rude nodded. "And say hi if she's around." Reno frowned, but followed after the bald student. Elena was about to follow about them when Tseng held her back, pulling her arm gently.

"What is it, Tseng?" She asked, shrugging out of his grip.

"Something is wrong." Tseng frowned. "What is the problem?"

Elena gave a sheepish smile. "Was I obvious that I was changing the subject?"

Tseng gave a nonchalant look. "I understand that you have your own problems, but I hope you remain as professional as possible."

"Of course!" Elena grinned. "Not to worry, Tseng. Once the performance is over, I'll return to my original life and all this won't be a problem anymore."

The keyboardist narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you getting into trouble because of us?" He asked. "Or do you really not like to work with us?"

Elena was stunned by his question. "I…"

"Yo, Tseng!" Reno called out to them. "We're leaving soon!"

Tseng turned to Elena. "I do hope that you stay in Laser Lou." He nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow for vocal training."

* * *

><p>With the arts festival safely out of the way, Laser Lou and Elena focused their attention on practicing their performance. Elena was impressed with their professional attitudes and how they knew what they were doing.<p>

Elena on the other hand… though the guys hardly say it, she knew that she was not up to their standards. Tseng is the only one who could teach her vocally, however he is not a teacher either. He could only point out pitching problems (having perfect pitch, he does that easily) and point out what is wrong with her singing, but he couldn't help her improve.

With almost two weeks before the performance, Elena felt frustrated and helpless at the same time. She may not be a professional singer, but she is a professional artist, and she knew the disappointment and hindrance she would become if she didn't buck up and improve.

She sat in her dormitory room, staring at the white ceiling above her. She hummed the song again and again but she felt no satisfaction in her voice. Her efforts soon digressed and Elena found herself singing "What A Girl Wants" again. Then, as if a switch was flipped on, Elena sat up on the bed, her heart beating fast at her novel idea. Jumping out of the bed, she walked towards her table, picked up her phone and dialed a number that she never remembered to delete.

* * *

><p>Even though the performance was two days away, Reno didn't look frantic or stressed out. In the comfort of the music studio, he strummed his guitar leisurely as Elena was practising her part. Suddenly, from the corner of her eye she saw Reno place his guitar on his lap. "Elena?" Reno's voice was puzzled. Elena looked at him quizzically, prompting him to continue. "Your voice… it has improved." He said quietly.<p>

She blushed at the compliment made. "Thanks."

"No, I mean it." Reno sat up straighter. "Your voice control and pitching has become more refined." He peered at the blonde. "What did you do?"

Elena raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You could tell?"

"Nothing escapes the Almighty Reno." He boasted smugly. "Now, you obviously had vocal help… and it's not from Tseng."

Deciding not to argue with him on his self-claimed title, Elena replied. "I looked up my voice teacher. You know… the one who taught me when I was a kid?" Reno nodded, his face now understanding. She smiled. "I want to improve myself… not be the one ruining Laser Lou's sound. She was nice enough to help me for the last two weeks, so I sought her out when you guys are busy with your other commitments."

The redhead broke into a smile. "I like your diligence, Elena." He remarked. "And it's bringing good results. Your singing is much mature and closer to what we want."

Elena shrugged. "Elmrya is a good teacher."

Upon hearing the name, Reno's jaw dropped. "Elmrya? As in Elmrya Gainsborough?"

Elena stared at him. "You know her?"

"Know her?" Reno exclaimed. "_Everyone _knows her!" He jumped up from his couch. "She's one of the best vocal teachers around, who personally trains Aerith Gainsborough!" Looking at her stunned expression, Reno cocked his head a little. "You do know who Aerith is, right?"

Elena nodded. "She's the daughter of Elmrya. She often sat in my vocal les-"

"Aerith," Reno stated with emphasis. "Is the lead singer of the famous pop-rock band, AVALANCHE!" He held his head with both hands and sat down. "Absolutely mind-blown! To think, one of Elmrya's students sits right under my nose!"

"So Aerith is a celebrity now?" Elena said, incredulous. Elmrya didn't mention Aerith, they didn't have time to catch up at all. She grinned. "So… Someone is a fan of Aerith?" She asked cheekily.

Reno laughed. "Not me, Tseng is a big fan of hers. Rude likes Tifa Lockhart, the keyboardist." He glanced at her. "She's a student in Ackee as well, I'll point her out to you sometime soon."

Elena snorted. She couldn't imagine the two serious-looking students having something as frivolous as a celebrity crush. "What about you, Reno?" She teased. "Any celebrity crushes?"

Reno leaned closer towards Elena. "I feel nothing for celebrities." He said gently, pulling his face closer to Elena's. "I prefer people who are real, not people whom I can only admire from a distance." He smiled, reaching out to finger her long blonde hair.

Pulling away from his touch hastily, Elena stood up. "I'm ah… I'm going to the washroom." She stammered, hoping hard that Reno would not notice how red her face has become.

Reno simply smiled. "Who's stopping you?" He gave a cheeky grin. Elena took that as a cue to quickly run out of the room before Reno decided to tease her further.

_What is wrong with me?_ She thought, pressing her hands onto her cheeks. _For a moment, I thought that Reno was going to kiss me. _She quickly walked down the corridor, feeling her fast-beating heart. _The worse part was… I didn't seem to mind._

In the bathroom, she splashed cold water on her face. _Don't be stupid, Elena! _She chided herself. _Reno is just being a tease. He always flirts like this with the other girls too. I'm being paranoid, there's no way Reno will like me. I'm just a singer in Laser Lou._

_But he was the one who spotted me, and insisted that I sing in Laser Lou…_

"Elena?" As she looked up, she saw Christine, one of her classmates, along the corridor.

Elena smiled. Even though Christine was not a close friend, she was one of the few students who talked to Elena. On top of that, Elena often helped her with her work. "What happened, Christine?"

"Dr. Crescent wants to see you in her office."

"Oh," Elena said. "Do you know what it is about?" Christine replied that it is to retrieve their respective paintings, now graded and ready to be returned. Elena thanked her and without bothering to inform Reno, she headed in the opposite direction.

It took a while before Elena reached the office of Dr. Lucrecia Crescent in the Arts Building. The hallway felt eerily quiet. Shaking any feelings of worry aside, Elena knocked on the door. "Dr. Crescent?" There was no response, but Elena found her door was not locked. So Elena entered her office. "Sorry to interrupt…" She murmured. "Dr. Crescent, I heard you were looking for me…"

The office was empty, but in the adjacent storeroom Elena thought she heard noises and smelled cigarette smoke. Walking over to the storeroom, she called out for her teacher again, but her heart sank when she heard the door click shut and bolted behind her.

* * *

><p>Full AN in my blog: aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com

Less than 2000 words? Wow, I haven't wrote such a short chapter since I returned back from my hiatus!

Chapter 3 and 4 was done with special thanks to **Belize**, a friend of mine who takes art.


	5. The Profession

**Moves Like Jagger**

**Chapter 5 – The Profession**

Elena stared at the girls in front of her. "… I suppose you are the fan club?" Elena asked with a grim smile on her face.

One of the girls tossed her curly blonde hair and removed the cigarette from her lips. "You aren't as stupid as you look." She taunted.

"Kayla, we don't have much time before Dr. Crescent is back from her meeting." Another girl, the one with straight brown hair and wore thick-rimmed, hot-pink spectacles urged the blonde. Both of them are from the Music faculty.

Elena recognized the last girl as a student from the Art faculty, one of her classmates. "Beryl, you… too?" She asked, incredulous.

Beryl's face was one of pity and condescendence. "You think I would talk to you if you weren't a part of Laser Lou?" She scoffed. "The only reason why people started talking to you more in school is only because we've heard that you joined Laser Lou as a singer." She jerked a thumb at the door behind Elena. "Even Christine."

Elena slowly spun around… to see Christine standing behind her, looking grim. "How many more are there in this fan club of yours?" Elena asked slowly, not feeling any better by the minute. She felt sick with the realization that the girl who talked to her the most (after Cissnei) did it with a hidden agenda.

"You won't need to know. We'll be through with you in ten minutes and you can go… IF you cooperate." Kayla smiled dangerously.

Elena steeled herself. "What do you want me to do?"

"Leave Laser Lou, isn't it obvious?" Beryl replied. Indeed, the answer was so simple and obvious, Elena scolded herself for even asking. "Moron." Beryl added for good measure.

Elena looked at Beryl square in the eye, feeling a small triumph when she saw that Beryl wavered a little at her gaze. "And if I refuse?" She asked.

Kayla was not intimidated. "You would be wiser if you don't," She said, drawing a puff from her cigarette and tossing her pack to Beryl. "Or your friend Cissnei will suffer without knowing why."

At the mention of her friend, Elena tensed. "What have you done with her?" She glared at Kayla.

"Don't test my patience, Elena. Stalling for time isn't going to help you." Kayla warned. "Are you going to leave Laser Lou or not?"

Elena sighed. "If you had asked me this two weeks ago, I would've jumped at the opportunity to." The girls' faces were puzzled at her reply. Elena frowned. "But I can't leave Laser Lou now. Not when the performance is two days away. I'm not such an irresponsible person."

"Well, we're not giving you a choice." Said Kayla. "You will leave Laser Lou, even if you have to look irresponsible."

Elena looked at them and shook her head to herself. "Why are you girls being such absolute bitches?"

"You!" The girl with the thick-rimmed glasses jabbed a finger at Elena.

"Niam," Kayla warned the girl. "She's just stalling for time." She nodded at Elena.

Or so Elena thought, because she suddenly felt Christine grab her from behind, holding under her arms so that Elena couldn't move. "Christine!" Elena yelled. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, Elena." Christine's voice was sad but firm. For a petite girl, she was strong in her grip. "Kayla said that with you in Laser Lou you'll just ruin the band's dynamics because Reno and Tseng like you!"

Elena suddenly stopped struggling. "What?"

"Don't act stupid on us," Beryl sneered, puffing her cigarette in a manner that she probably thought looked stylish. Elena tightened her jaw. She never liked her and her know-it-all arrogance. "Everyone knows that Reno and Tseng like you and they're threatening to disband."

"That's absolute rubbish!" Elena retorted. "Laser Lou won't disband! Besides, if they can be so professional as to leave the issue aside till the end of the performance, then you should too!" She yelled. "Don't listen to her, Christine! They're lying!"

Niam's face darkened. "Christine has a long-term crush on Tseng, since high school. Your presence has lowered her chances of being with Tseng." She picked up a pair of scissors from the table. "Your presence must be eliminated."

Elena's eyes widened at the sight of the scissors. "What are you crazy girls going to do?"

"Nothing much." Beryl shrugged. "Just want to scare you a little today and then we'll let you go. If you decide to go up on that stage this Friday…" She reached for Elena's cheek and pinched it hard. "You better pray for a better afterlife."

Christine's grip was strong and with Beryl holding her legs to prevent her from kicking them, Niam and Kayla advanced. Elena felt the burning end of Kayla's cigarette imprint on her face and she screamed. She heard the _snip snip _of the scissors. To her horror, Niam was pulling her long blonde hair and cutting it off. Elena tried to protest, but her arms and legs were strongly held by Beryl and Christine.

"I guess I was never a good hairdresser…" Niam mused. "Opps, there's a bald patch now…"

"Such long slender legs…" Beryl murmured, tapping the ashes of her cigarette on them. Elena quickly kicked to shake the ashes off her legs.

"Are you going to leave Laser Lou or not?" Niam hissed.

Elena shook her head. "I can't." She begged. "At least after the performance, please!"

"I said, you don't have a choice!" Kayla slapped Elena on the cheek. The burnt mark stung harder than the slap. Elena could only watch herself be tormented by the three malicious girls, and only hear Christine (still holding her tightly) crying behind her, apologizing.

Then suddenly, the door of the office burst open and Elena heard Reno call out her name. _Reno… _She thought to herself.

Upon seeing Reno, the girls immediately released Elena and stepped aside. "What are you doing here?" Kayla asked Reno.

"Elena was missing for some time so I went to look around. I overheard some girls talking about your plans..." Reno knelt down beside Elena and looked at the music student. "This is too much, Kayla." Reno said quietly.

"Reno…" Elena said hastily. "Cissnei… she's in trouble. Where's Rude and Tseng? Go find her…"

"Cissnei is fine." Christine blurted. Reno and Elena looked at her in surprise. "We said that to scare Elena, that's all." Elena sighed in relief. She wouldn't know how to face Cissnei if she was in trouble because of her decision to stay in Laser Lou.

Reno frowned at Elena. "You're hurt and all you think about is Cissnei?" He shook his head to himself and said softly, "Foolish girl."

"Reno…"

He turned to the girls. "I will not have you harm my band member, Kayla." He pulled a tight smile. "We'll take our leave."

As he took Elena's hand, Beryl made a noise of irritation. "No fair!" Beryl said in a saccharine voice. "Only Reno and Tseng likes Elena! What about the rest of us?" She pouted.

Reno frowned. "Where did you hear such nonsense?" He growled.

"Kayla said so." Niam looked at Kayla, who looked deathly white. "Tell him, Kayla."

Kayla bit her lip, not knowing what to do all of a sudden. "Okay!" She admitted. "I lied."

"You what?" Elena shrieked.

"I was trying to garner support." Kayla said lamely. "Reno and Tseng don't like Elena. I made that up so that I can get her out of Laser Lou."

"Kayla…" Reno said softly. "I know you've been an undying fan of Laser Lou since high school, and I've always placed you as my Number 1 fan." Kayla's expression softened at his words. "But your unscrupulous means to remain as Number 1 is simply despicable. First Cissnei…" Reno glanced at Elena. "Now Elena… what do you want to do?"

Beryl stared at Kayla. "You mean… the Cissnei incident in high school… that was you?"

"So what if it is?" Kayla spat back. "If you had made me part of Laser Lou instead of Cissnei," She seethed. "I wouldn't resort to using such despicable ways till now!" Kayla pointed at Elena. "Tell me, Reno! I am good in vocals and yet you pick this… talentless girl to sing for Laser Lou?" She said venomously.

"Talentless?" Reno narrowed his eyes at her. "Do you know what a great singer Elena is?"

_Gosh, he's going to bring up Elmrya._ Elena groaned inwardly.

"Elena is one of the best singers I've heard in a long time." Reno narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm not saying that you're not good, but we didn't invite you to Laser Lou in the first place because your voice is simply not suitable for our kind of music." Kayla didn't argue further, but Reno was not done with what he wanted to say. "Kayla, even if I don't have evidence of you hurting Cissnei, I have evidence of you destroying Elena's work."

"What?" Kayla, Beryl and Elena exclaimed together.

Reno held the tape in his hands. "I wanted to catch you singing while you're painting again." He explained to Elena. "You didn't think that I became your art assistant for fun, did you? However, you seem to be too conscious in my presence. So…" He wriggled the tape.

"You placed a freaking hidden camera in my art studio?" Elena's jaw dropped.

"It all turned out good in the end, isn't it?" Reno grinned. "Kayla and Beryl sneaked in while you were out and destroyed your beautiful painting. I only saw this a few days ago, but I didn't know how to inform you." He shrugged apologetically.

"Reno!" Kayla exclaimed. "How could you be so malicious?"

"Look who's talking." Reno said simply.

Kayla was clearly devastated at her actions being revealed. "But I didn't want this to happen!" She insisted. "I just wanted the title of Laser Lou's vocalist to be mine! Elena could sing well, but she can never outdo me! I-"

"Kayla." Elena said, interrupting her next sentence.

"What?" She glared at Elena lethally.

"I'm going to give you a challenge." Elena said. "If you're performing for the concert, I challenge you to sing better than me." Her heart was beating fast at her audacious statement. "The winning singer will be determined by the applause from the crowd." Elena stared at Kayla straight in the eye. "I want you to be utterly defeated and resigned to the fact that I sing better than you can."

"You arrogant thing!" Niam retorted, her hot-pink spectacles glaring. "Kayla is one of the best scoring students in Vocals. You have no idea who you're up agains-"

"Elena." Kayla interrupted Niam and Niam fell silent. "I accept your suicidal challenge." She smirked at Elena, folding her arms haughtily. "But I'm sure we have some… consequences?"

"Of course." Elena nodded. "If I win, you promise never to hurt the other girls who try to befriend Laser Lou. Anymore."

"And if YOU lose?" Beryl asked.

Elena steeled herself and took a deep breath. "Then I'll destroy the evidence of you mutilating my oil painting and leave Laser Lou." She paused a little. "And I'll never speak to any of them again."

"Elena…" Reno said.

"Fair enough." Kayla agreed. "I look forward to thrashing you this Friday, Elena." She walked out of the door. "You better be prepared."

The two girls walked out with her but Christine, who was silent the entire time, lingered behind. She looked at Elena with sad eyes.

"Christine…" Elena said softly.

"I… I hope you win. I'm sorry for letting my feelings for Tseng hurt you... and I'm sorry for all this." She apologised for the last time and ran out of the door.

_Christine…_

"Elena…" She heard Reno say.

Suddenly, Elena felt him cup her face. Her face turned warm at his large hands making contact with her cheeks. Reno thumbed her cheek, over the angry red mark that was the result of Kayla's cigarette burn. He then ran his fingers through her hair, badly mutilated and haphazardly chopped off. "Your hair…"

"It's nothing." Elena mumbled. "More importantly… I… I won't let you down. I will win Kayla." Elena mumbled, not knowing if her discomfort is due to the pain of the cigarette burn or the fact that Reno is holding her face _so tenderly_…

"Elena…" Reno said softly, she looked at him questioningly. "Do you know when did I first meet you?" He asked.

Elena pried his hands off her face, feeling awkward to be making conversation in such a position. She frowned as she remembered the first time she met him. "Three weeks ago?" She asked. "It was my second week of school."

Reno chuckled. "Wrong," He said. "I've met you even before that, the week earlier." He grinned.

"… Really?"

"I was walking past the arts faculty and I heard some singing." Elena flushed. She knew where Reno was heading with his story. "I was surprised to hear singing. Not that it's so rare to hear arts students sing, but it's just that the voice was so…" Reno smiled. "It was fresh and light, yet powerful and emotional." He rubbed his hands. "I peeked around the corner and I saw a girl singing and painting at the same time."

Elena blushed. "I… I like to sing while I paint." She hastily explained. "But it wasn't intentional, it sometimes escapes me. I… I was just… humming random tunes from songs that I remember."

"If people hum leisurely like that, then we'll have many good singers." Reno grinned. "I knew that I had to have you in Laser Lou. You were what we wanted. I'm sorry for being so selfish to force you into the band, what with the fiasco of Cissnei… But even Tseng and Rude felt that you were the best bet for this week's concert."

Elena blushed under his confession. He forced her to join Laser Lou because he already heard her sing previously? "So it wasn't… a random decision just because I happened to be standing at the Mick Jagger poster." She said lamely.

Laughing, Reno answered. "Of course not. Tell me, Elena. After hearing a voice of such potential, how could I give up on you? Then again, now that you've given yourself such an ultimatum…" Reno smirked. "You would need to buck up yourself too. That's a heavy price you've given yourself if you lose to Kayla."

Elena grimaced. "Reno, is she that good?"

"She indeed is one of the best vocal singers in her cohort."

The blonde groaned. "I can't believe I challenged her. What if I lose?"

His face turned serious again. "You need to change your mindset. Stop thinking that you can't sing. If you really think that way, then you WILL lose."

Elena tensed. Reno made a point. She couldn't afford to lose this time round. She couldn't afford to be timid and run away. She gave Kayla the challenge to help Cissnei and who knows who else to be free from the fan club's bullying… She needs to be strong to end this once and for all.

She nodded. "I'll do my best."

"That's the spirit!" Reno broke into a smile. "Now, we gotta get out of here." He helped her up. "Your face is burned-"

"It's only a spot of cigarette." Elena pointed out.

"You're a girl, Elena." Reno insisted. "We won't have you going up on stage with an ugly red scar. And we'll fix that hair of yours." He grinned.

Elena sighed sadly. More than the cigarette burn, Elena felt devastated when she saw the long tresses of her blonde hair on the floor, limp and lifeless. _How long would it take for my hair to grow again?_ She sighed inwardly. _But I guess I'm just being whiny. They'll grow back eventually, of course._

"Let's go." Reno said.

Elena held Reno's arm, feeling shy as she felt the warmth on his skin. "So… Kayla is just lying, right?" Elena asked again. She had to be sure. "You and Tseng don't like me, right?"

Reno's voice was soft. "Wrong."

Elena felt her heart sink. Reno and Tseng likes her? Then what-

"Tseng doesn't like you, Elena." Reno's hand smoothed out Elena's mutilated hair with little success. "I do."

"Reno." Elena said breathlessly, blushing at even the gentlest of his touch and the softness of his profession. "I-"

"What's going on in my office?" Dr. Lucrecia Crescent exclaimed. They turned around and saw the professor walk in, her face full of surprise."Elena!" She gasped as she saw her student. "What happened?"

"Your prof?" Reno asked of Elena.

Elena smiled, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear… and felt her heart wrench in sorrow at the loss of her long hair. "Yeah, she is." She answered sadly. "We've got a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

><p>This is the second last chapter! Yeah, the story is coming to an end! I've uploaded this early because I wanted to =P It's to let my birthday reviewer, TWA, have something to read before she goes to sleep tonight XDDDD<p>

More authors' notes to be found in my blog: aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com

Please read and review!


	6. The Performance

**Moves Like Jagger**

A VERY LONG CHAPTER ahead. But of course, it's the last chapter so let's make things work, yo? =P

**Chapter 6 – The Performance**

When Reno and Rude came in, carrying bags of the performance costumes, Elena had no idea how the band would want to portray themselves in the performance. Knowing Reno, she should've guessed. Elena shook her head to herself at the costume, though Rude and Tseng seemed to have no qualms to that.

Reno, Rude and Tseng will be wearing black blazers and black pants. But they will only wear the black blazers, revealing their bare chests. Elena will be wearing a white blazer and matching pants… with a micro tube top that barely covered her breasts.

"It's seriously too small for comfort." Elena complained, tugging at her bandeau. "You ordered it one size too small." To that, Reno only gave a smug smile and said nothing more. Elena found later that with constant wearing and stretching, the tube top became looser, fitting her just nicely. _Who would've thought. _Elena mused. Then again… how did Reno manage to guess her size so accurately?

To her own question, she blushed and refused to think of any possible reason.

The cigarette burn on Elena's cheek healed into a dark brown spot, but with some good concealer, it can be well-concealed. As for Elena's badly cropped hair, Rude found his cousin, who is a student in hairdressing, to help Elena with her hair. After an hour, Elena found herself with a short asymmetrical bob, long on the right and shorter on the left. She admitted to Rude that she liked the new haircut, though there was nothing she could do to cover the 'bald' patch that Kayla had brutally made.

It was with these last minute preparations and anxiety on Elena's part, that Friday came.

* * *

><p>"Alright Ackee people, I wanna hear you cheer!" One of the music students outside hyped up the crowd with some success. The students were cheering, though the atmosphere was still too polite to be a concert.<p>

Elena stared at the masses from the side of the stage. "I… I didn't think there'll be so many people…" She murmured to herself. "It is not just the music students… but the other students from the other faculties as well."

"Tonight is going to be filled with fun and excitement!" The student MC (master of ceremony) grinned. "We celebrate our annual music concert and this year's theme is Mick Jagger!" The crowd cheered at the mention of the famous singer. "All of our groups have an item to perform tonight, and they'll be related to Mick Jagger, or the Rolling Stones! Of course, they are not graded based on your applause, but let us show them some encouragement, yeah?"

The crowd cheered.

"If we wanted to, part of our assessment will be based on tonight's performance." Reno said beside Elena, scaring her.

"Gosh! I didn't notice you there!" She exclaimed. "And you mean that these music groups are assessed?" Her jaw dropped. "Why didn't you tell me so!"

"Relax, Laney!" Reno laughed. "We're here to have fun, not to be assessed!"

"Oh." Replied Elena, a little relieved. "There's no way you'll let an inexperience singer like me jeopardise our assessment, of course!"

"First on our list tonight, folks!" The student MC boomed into the microphone. "Let's give it up for… Dominication!"

Beside Elena, a group of students walked out onto the stage and set up their equipment. The crowd cheered and at the cue of the band leader, music filled the foyer.

* * *

><p><em>Kayla's group was not bad actually. In fact, they are good.<em> Elena thought to herself with a sinking heart. Even Rude agreed that their sexy rendition to "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" was well-executed. (A/N: Yes, the original song came from Mick Jagger! XD)

"After three more groups, it'll be us." Rude informed Reno and Elena. "Remember, Elena. You'll only walk out onto the stage during the bridge as our surprise element."

Elena nodded quickly. "I know."

"This is it, Laney." Reno's face was full of expectation as he stared at Elena. "How are you feeling?"

She picked at her own costume. "I still can't believe that you guys talked me into wearing this." She complained.

Reno chuckled. "I think it looks good."

"Urgh." Elena grumbled. "I can't believe that all of this is happening." She stretched her fingers nervously. "What if I mess up the performance? I can barely do the last belt well in our last practice." She glanced up at Reno. "You know what? I'm going to go up onstage and do my best…" Elena bit her lower lip and continued. "And try not to fidget too much." She grinned sheepishly. "I may sway to the music and Gaia knows what else."

"You know what you should do?" Reno said. "Lighten up. Seriously, Elena." Reno pulled her to a corner. "I know that you have your own reservations and all but… for tonight, wouldn't it be great to just… let it all go and have fun?"

Elena stiffened. "You make me sound like a prude." She mumbled.

Reno smirked. "Of course you are not, but you do have a lower threshold for exhibiting boldness." His turquoise eyes twinkled mischievously. "A good performance is absolute, but a good _and_ playful one makes a hell lot of difference. And you," He said, glancing at her from head to toe. "Are too worried, too tense, right now."

"…" Hearing his words, Elena wriggled her shoulders to loosen them up. "I… I don't know how to be playful." She admitted.

The redhead's smile widened to a grin. "Then, pay close attention to the three of us onstage. Observe how we perform. Even the most deadpan of us all will surprise you."

"Reno." Elena heard Tseng call out.

"Opps." Reno gave a knowing smile. "Wonder if he heard me."

Tseng walked towards the two of them, frowning. "Prepare your equipment. We'll be up on stage soon." He said with a no-nonsense tone. Elena pursed her lips and considered the image of Tseng being 'playful'.

"Sure sure." Reno waved at the keyboardist. "Elena." He reached forward to smooth a loose strand of Elena's hair back in place. "Whatever it is, I want you to have fun, alright?" As Reno walked away to make last minute checks on his guitar, Elena clutched her collar and seriously considered what he said.

* * *

><p>"Laser Lou! Laser Lou! Laser Lou!" The crowd's chants grew into a wild scream as Reno, Rude and Tseng appeared on the circular stage.<p>

As Tseng and Rude prepared their equipment, Reno placed the microphone onto the stand. "What's up, folks?" He grinned. The crowd cheered in response. "While the two masters at the back set up their junk, I thought we could chat, huh? You know how we work, yeah? Whether I play the guitar or not, it doesn't matter, yo." The students laughed and Reno patted his glossy guitar.

_Wow. They don't really care that Reno doesn't play huh? _Elena thought to herself. _Maybe they know that Reno prepared the guitar part into the synthesizer prior to the concert, or they know it as some form of performance gimmick._

"Nevertheless, let me just… you know… look busy." Reno gave a sheepish grin and tuned his guitar. The crowd laughed in response. "Well… tonight, we thought that we should do an original, yo?" He continued as he tested and tuned his guitar. "I know I say this everytime, but you're in a good treat tonight! If you want to, feel free to whistle along okay? Just follow me." Reno whistled into the microphone and laughed at the efforts of the people below the stage. "If you guys are going to whistle like that… don't." The crowd roared with laughter.

Elena was impressed at how Reno could control the crowd. Rude once mentioned that Reno's charisma is more of a gift than a talent, now she is seeing the very evidence of his abilities.

"Okay okay, one more chance, fellas." Reno gave his dazzling smile and whistled into the microphone. This time, the crowd sounded better. "That's more like it! Alrighty folks! Looks like Tseng and Rude are ready as well!" He nodded at his two bandmates at the back. "Music, please!"

As the music played, the crowd immediately joined in the whistling. Reno strummed the base guitar notes but of course, the music came from the pre-recorded track. Tseng was simply a genius, his lightning-fast hands moved across the keyboard and controls. Rude joined in with the bass beat.

"Just shoot for the stars," Reno sang and reached his hand towards the ceiling. "If it feels right. Then aim for my heart," He smiled, placing his hand over his heart. "If you feel like, and take me away," He sang and mock-strummed the tune casually. "Make it okay. I swear I'll behave." He held his hand up as a gesture of oath, the crowd screamed with adoration.

_Tons of Reno fans out there_. Elena grinned to herself. She no longer bothered to stay completely hidden. Reno has already taken full attention on the stage. Elena's eyes hardly left the lead singer, but mostly because of his incoming 'awesome' lyrics.

"You wanted control, so we waited." Reno resumed to strumming the guitar, but no sound came out from his amplifier. His guitar parts have already been recorded and synthesized, his strumming is more of a display than playing. "I put on a show, now I make it. You say I'm a kid, my ego is big, I don't give a shhhh" He stopped abruptly and placed a finger on his lips, smiling coyly.

Elena shook her head, he's flirting with the crowd like a girl, yet his female fans were screaming their heads off. _That's what you get with a pretty boy, I guess._ She thought, and snorted to herself. That term just popped up in her head at the moment. She tried to divert her distractions back onto the performance.

Reno sang, "And it goes like this." But his words were overwhelmed by fans screaming "RUDE!"

Elena knew why. Since the song started, Rude has been patiently beating the bass drum. Right before the chorus, Rude did a little drum stunt, a rather interesting change from his monotonous bass beat earlier.

The redhead grinned at Rude, obviously very happy with his drumming. "Take me by the tongue and I'll know you." He grinned cheekily and pointed at the crowd. He was no longer playing his guitar but his head bopped to the beat. "Kiss me till you're drunk and I'll show you… want the moves like Jagger," He snapped his fingers to the right and his hips followed naturally with the snapping. "Got the moves like Jagger, got the moves... like Jagger."

"Laser Lou!" The crowd roared with ecstasy.

_I must admit it… He's good._ Elena thought to herself. Watching from the side, Elena smiled to herself. She fully understood why Reno is such a popular person. He has the ability to make you like him, no matter how much you want to dislike him. She grinned and sang along.

Tseng started swaying to the music as well. Elena mused at the amount of time it needed for the usually stoic Tseng to express himself through the music he plays (_Almost towards the end of the chorus!_ She laughed to herself). There was something in Tseng's expression that told Elena that she has yet to see it all.

"I don't need to try to control you." The delirious Reno tapped his temples and sang, "Look into my eyes and I'll own you with the moves like Jagger, got the moves like Jagger, got the moves... like Jagger."

Suddenly Reno turned and smiled at Elena, she felt her heart skip a beat. Then, he faced the crowd quickly, as if he had never faced Elena at all. "Maybe it's hard when you feel like you're broken and scarred, nothing feels right, but when you're with me," He stared straight forward and sang with his face full of emotion, his voice filled with sincerity. "I make you believe that I've got the key." The crowd was persistent in their whistling, alternating at times to scream for the band.

Reno hooted and the beats stopped temporarily. Tseng quickly ran his fingers down the keyboard and then they continued to the next set of lyrics. But Elena saw Rude throw his drumsticks up into the air. Her jaw dropped as she saw the drumsticks cartwheel in the air many times before falling back into Rude's hands perfectly. Rude then continued the drum beats again without missing a beat, nor heeding the desperate cheers from his fans.

_So… all of them try their best to fit in some entertaining element in their performance._ Elena thought. _Reno is shaking his red mop of hair like an idiot._ She smiled at her description of his unruly hair. _It should be harder for Rude to pull stunts because the beats have to be present all the time. As for Tseng…_

"So get in the car, we can ride it." Reno swayed left and right, his left hand holding the microphone stand and his right hand as if holding a steering wheel. "Whereever you want, get inside it. And you want to steer, but I'm shifting gears. I'll take it from here… And it goes like this."

The crowd screamed as they saw Tseng's playing. His hands jumped one over the other and as Reno sang towards the chorus, Tseng did a jump, his hands still playing the keyboard.

Elena clapped together with the enthusiastic crowd, thoroughly impressed with his stunt. She grinned when she saw his face, for it was one that showed that he enjoyed his performance. In fact, the three of them all enjoyed the moment that they are in, right on stage. The joy is shown on their faces, to the point of delirium.

_How can I lose to them?_ She grinned to herself. _If they, being instrumental musicians, could do stupid stunts like that, then I can do it too._

_And only the chorus left to think of something to do!_ She realized, horrified. Then, she realized that she only had one strategy to combat her lack of time to produce a performance worthwhile.

Perform outlandishly.

_Or in other words, don't think too much about it! _

Then, as if Reno has been reminding her daily, she said to herself. "Don't resist singing. Embrace it, sing to my heart's content… And enjoy myself."

She watched as the now-delirious Reno hop on one leg as he strummed and rocked his head, Rude giving the faintest of smiles as he tossed his drumstick while keeping to the beat and Tseng doing a full-body turn while at the keyboards.

_Now's my chance._

Her heart pumped faster as Reno sang the last words of the chorus. He stretched an arm out towards the side of the stage, where she is to walk out.

_Here goes nothing._

Elena took a deep breath and stepped out. "You wanna know how to make me smile," She sang, her voice a little shaky. For a moment, the crowd was quieter, and Elena had to tell herself to keep singing. _Why are they so quiet?_ She thought to herself, but sang nevertheless. "Take control, own me just for the night…"

Then suddenly, everything happened so fast. The crowd erupted into hoots and applause. Elena looked at Reno, who grinned and played the guitar… for real. There were gasps and more screams as the audience hear Reno actually play his guitar.

"And if I share my secret, you're gonna have to keep it." Elena pressed a finger on her lips and pouted, her cheeks are burning from the flirtatious actions that she has never done before. "Nobody else can see this…" She added a wink for good measure.

She remembered then what Reno said about singing making her heart liberated. _That is what I'm feeling now. _She thought, joyous. She looked at Reno, who gave her a look as if challenging her be more daring.

Elena walked towards Reno. "So watch and learn," She sang. "I won't show you twice." She ran her fingers through his hair, ignoring the cheers from the crowd. "Head to toe, ooh baby, roll me right, yeah." She turned towards the crowd and did a slight dip, her hand still holding onto Reno's neck. He grinned, his guitar playing not affected by her actions. "And if I share my secret, you're gonna have to keep it." As she sang, she walked towards Tseng and his keyboard. She placed her hand on the sides of the keyboard and grinned at Tseng. "Nobody else can see this." Then, Elena did her favourite: belting.

The crowd went wild at her voice, cueing Reno to join in. "And it goes like this…"

* * *

><p>The remainder of the song was simply likened to a roller-coaster ride for Elena. She took Tseng's advice and released whatever notes she wanted to belt… with good results. Then she took Rude's advice and didn't do weird fidgeting… with good results. Then she took Reno's advice and sang to her heart's content… with satisfaction from both the crowd and the performers.<p>

"Good job." Rude nodded at Reno and Tseng as they left the stage. The crowd cheered and applauded thunderously. Then, he turned to Elena. "Your performance is not shabby."

Elena beamed. "Thank you, Rude. You have NO idea how embarrassing it feels to do that in front of so many people!"

Tseng cleared his throat. "I believe we do know. The only one enjoying it is Reno." Elena smiled at the obvious lie. "That aside, I believe that we will get a decent grade for our assignment."

"Of course, yo." Reno drawled. "We are the best. These assignments are nothing!"

Elena turned around and stared at Reno, her expression gradually changing as she registered what he said. "You said! You said…"

"Of course I had to lie to you that our profs are not grading our performance!" Reno laughed. "If not, you'll be so conscious about it you'll really mess it up for us!"

"It was a big risk." Tseng nodded. "Reno begged us for a long time."

"Worked out fine in the end." Reno shrugged.

Cissnei was waiting for Elena in the backroom. Her face brightened as she saw the band walk in. "Elena!" She smiled.

"Cissnei?" Reno exclaimed.

The former bassist glanced at Reno. "Hey." She said shyly, as if it is the first time she is meeting them. "It's been a long time." She said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "How are you guys?"

Tseng nodded. "Things have been good."

"Yeah, but it'll be better if you returned..." Reno added but stopped abruptly. "Of course, you know… if you don't wanna… it's fine, yo?"

Elena saw Cissnei bit her lower lip and was about to say something to lighten the atmosphere when Cissnei smiled. "Maybe. Who knows?"

Reno raised his eyebrows. "If you really were to come back…"

"That would be good." Rude finished for him.

"About time we get back our bass guitarist." Tseng rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Cissnei smiled lightly, but Elena saw that it was one full of sincerity and joy. "Ciss and I are going to get some drinks. You guys want some?" She looked at the three music students, who all answered that they will do fine without drinks.

After Elena and Cissnei walked out of the backroom, Cissnei turned to Elena. "That was a fantastic performance." She beamed. "I never knew that you could sing so well."

Elena reddened at her praises. "Thanks." She replied. "Looks like you didn't just come to see me only, huh?" She gestured back at the backroom, where Laser Lou is resting. "They look just as happy to see you."

The redhead nodded and beamed. "Elena… I miss playing in a band. But I'm too scared to return."

"Why?" Elena asked.

"I… I don't want the same thing to happen to me." Cissnei held Elena's hands. "You had the same treatment too. Your face is scarred because of the fan club's crazy antics. What-" Cissnei stopped when Elena cut her off with a hand.

"Cissnei." Elena tightened her grip on Cissnei. "You know, up to 10 minutes ago, I was pretty sure that after this performance, I'm going to say goodbye to that crazy musical trio and return to my quiet life of oil painting. But if you ask me now? Just now, while I was on stage… I enjoyed every moment of it. Just 1 minute of singing to my heart's content and I thought to myself, 'I can't just put it back down and give it up!'" Elena gave a dry laugh. "I love singing but I never faced myself with enough courage to admit it. I've beaten myself too many times to confess that I would, more than anything, love to sing and perform like what I did today."

"Elena…"

"I'm not going to give this opportunity up to anybody. That is the reason why I went up on that stage, you know? To prove to the naysayers… and to myself… that I can do it." Elena looked at Cissnei confidently. "Come, we are going to find Kayla."

"What?" Cissnei's eyes widened at the mention of Kayla.

"That would be unnecessary, Elena." Kayla's voice suddenly appeared from a short distance away.

Elena turned and saw Kayla with Niam. "Kayla…" She narrowed her eyes at the girl.

Kayla tossed her curly blonde hair. "Well, Elena. What do you think?"

"What do I think… about what?"

Niam rolled her eyes. "About your performance?"

Elena's jaw tightened. "I think I did better, that's without any doubt. Besides, it was clear from the applause that our performance is better."

"Tch." Kayla scoffed. "You think they're doing that because of you? It's because of Laser Lou's outstanding performance that you've gotten such applause."

Cissnei glared at Kayla and Niam. "Don't utter such rubbish!" She retorted. "When I was the audience just now, everyone around me commented that Elena's singing is terrific!"

"Cissnei." Elena held her back. "It's fine." She walked towards Kayla and stared down at her. "Kayla." She smiled. "It's obvious that I've won this bout. But if you are not satisfied, you're free to challenge me, anytime."

Niam snorted. "Such audacity!"

"Niam." Kayla stopped her and looked at Elena. "I admit, Elena." She smirked. "I agree that you won this time."

Elena blinked. "You do?"

Kayla looked annoyed. "Was your confidence just now a façade?"

"No…" Elena faltered. "It's just that I thought you would disagree…"

"I know when I win and when I lose." Kayla sighed and tossed her hair. "Of course, your victory is not for long. But for now, enjoy your moment of fame." She smiled.

Elena grinned back. "I will."

"And I'll take up your word for it, and challenge you again."

"Challenge accepted." Elena said. "Now… about our bet…"

"You have my word." Kayla replied, sounding sour again. "I won't harass anyone again. The fan club will cease."

Elena sighed. "Keep your fanclub, it wasn't in our bet anyway. But no harassment. And I believe… you owe someone an apology?" She nodded at Cissnei.

Cissnei's eyes widened at Kayla. "It was… you?" Kayla kept quiet. "I knew it." Cissnei closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. "Fine, forget it."

"That's it?" Elena glanced at Cissnei. "You are willing to easily forgive the person who deformed you?"

"What can I do?" Cissnei looked at Kayla. "Sue her? It's been many years since the incident. It is pointless to dig up the case again. What was done has been done. I don't want to ruin her life just because of an offence she did years ago."

"Cissnei…" Kayla said softly.

"Let's just… go. As long as I know that there aren't any more psychotic fans who will potentially harm people around them… I'm fine." Cissnei turned back and without saying a word, headed back to the backroom where Laser Lou were at.

"Ciss…" Elena said softly. Then she turned to Kayla. "Please keep your word." Elena said sternly. "We aren't immature kids anymore."

Kayla blinked quickly. "Cissnei won't forgive me, will she?"

Niam placed a hand on her shoulder. "Kayla…"

The blonde shook her head. "The truth is, I felt bad for doing that to Cissnei. After she disappeared from school for a period in time, I told myself that I shouldn't do such extreme things to the others anymore." Kayla folded her arms and looked away, "What we did to you, Elena, was the worst we've done since Cissnei." Kayla laughed. "Of course, that doesn't justify our actions at all."

"Sorry but… I won't blame Cissnei if she doesn't forgive you."

Kayla's voice, for once, sounded regretful. "Yeah, I wouldn't too."

* * *

><p>"Tseng." Elena called out. As the long-haired student turned back, she nudged Cissnei gently. "I believe Cissnei would like to say some things to you." She winked at Cissnei. "Go on, Ciss!"<p>

As Tseng and the two members listened to Cissnei's humble but sincere request to return to Laser Lou, Elena saw Reno break into a smile. "Of course you're more than welcome to return! You're the best bassist I've seen in the longest time!" He slung his arm around the petite redhead. "Do you know how long I've tolerated Rude's bass?"

Rude gave a loud grunt of dissent and Elena laughed. Cissnei grinned and nudged Reno. "I'm rusty with the bass, you dumbass. You'll be begging for Rude to play the bass once you hear me play again."

Before Reno could retort, Tseng cut in. "You're more than welcome to come back into the band, but since you are not a music student…"

"I understand." Cissnei smiled. "I can't perform all the time anyway. I'm an art student." She nodded at Elena. "I'll just pop by and jam with you guys from time to time. And if you need my help for other performances, I'll be happy to contribute."

"And you?" Reno released his arm around Cissnei and stared at Elena.

Elena gave a sheepish grin. "I won't be singing, sorry."

"Oh." Reno's face fell. Elena saw him pull his lips into a tight line and he sighed. "Well, it was great working wi-"

"Of course I'm joking!" Elena laughed. "Gosh, you should've seen your face!"

Just like Elena earlier on, Reno's face slowly changed as he realized the joke. "Very funny." He narrowed his eyes at Elena.

"I'll be like Cissnei, an ad-hoc Laser Lou member!" Elena smiled brightly.

"So Laser Lou grew in two, but it's still technically the three of us." Tseng nodded his head in approval. "Sounds like a good plan for now."

Rude cleared his throat. "I'm hungry. Supper in the Arts canteen?" He asked, clearly directing the question as an invitation to ask Cissnei to join them.

"Of course!" Cissnei grinned. "Though at this time the only thing that is available is pork chops, and it tastes like rubber…"

Elena was about to turn and follow them when she heard a soft female voice speak behind her. "Reno." She turned around and saw a beautiful girl with long, dark hair. She was wearing a blue checkered shirt, tied at her midriff and white jeans.

"Tifa!" Reno greeted cheerfully, walking over to give her a hug. From the corner of her eye, Elena saw Rude glancing back slightly, but only to turn back and walk on behind Tseng and Cissnei.

"Reno," Tifa said smilingly as she returned his hug. "That was a fantastic performance! Keep this up and I'll be Laser Lou's number 1 fan!"

"Naw, Tifa!" He grinned. "WE are your loyal fans. AVALANCHE! is unbeatable!" He turned to Elena and gestured to Tifa. "This is Tifa, one of our classmates and the keyboardist of AVALANCHE."

"Elena, pleased to meet you!" Elena asked, reaching over to shake her hand.

For a moment, she saw a shadow of sadness pass Tifa's face. In fact, Elena thought she saw Tifa's hand hesitate a little before extending out to shake Elena's hand. By the time Elena could figure it out, Tifa hid her facial expression. "Tifa Lockhart. Pleased to meet you." Tifa shook the extended hand and shook it warmly.

Elena tried not to think too much into Tifa's expression and smiled. "Reno has been harping on how good AVALANCHE! is, you must be really happy to be able to play in such a good band."

"Well, the band's alright." Tifa grinned. "Maybe you can come watch us someday. Anyway, I'm going to congratulate my other friends." She waved. "I'll see you next week, Reno. Bye, Elena." She smiled. "You… You were unexpectedly good onstage. You certainly threw us Music students off our feet."

Elena blushed and thanked for the keyboardist's compliments. She watched Tifa's figure and wondered to herself why the keyboardist looked so uncomfortable when they mentioned AVALANCHE. _I suppose even the famous, successful bands have their own problems. _Elena thought. _Then again, I guess I'll never know. _

_Now to settle the last few issues of this whole fiasco. _

"So what are your plans, Reno?" Elena looked at the redhead. "Now that the big event is over?"

Reno scratched his chin. "Hmm… I thought that maybe I could relax in some café and work on a new song. Maybe at the new ice-cream café in Kalm."

"Working on new songs already?" Elena laughed. "Didn't think you're such a workaholic."

"Well… it's either that or I was thinking… Instead of writing songs, maybe I can take someone out for ice-cream?" He lifted Elena's chin and gave a cocky grin.

Elena blushed at his invitation. "That sounds pretty good." She smiled.

"Pretty good, eh?" Reno smiled widely. "So, how's about it? You and me… in Kalm, eating good ice-cream-"

"Unfortunately," Elena interrupted him. "I've made plans for the weekends… with Tseng." She walked off, tossing her hair as she did.

"NO WAY!" Reno's jaw dropped at her reply, but he saw that she was smiling at his response. "Aww come on Laney!" He began to walk after her. "That joke just now was bad enough… Now this? I certainly don't think that you'll pull such a joke! … You ARE joking, right?"

Elena smiled. She turned back at him and reached for his hand, giving him the answer he needed.

* * *

><p>I'VE GOT THE MOOOOOOOOOVES LIKE JAGGER!<p>

It's over! =D

Just so you know, I always read the performance part with the song in the background, and I'll try to imagine it in my head. So now that you've read it once through, feel free to try it out.

I simply cannot describe how… happy I am that the story is complete. I thank all my readers who made this possible. The story alerts, faves and reviews certainly are the pushing factor to make an amateur writer write on! (take a deep bow)

The rest of my thoughts can be found in my blog: aichioluv (dot) blogspot (dot) com.

Please read and review! If you've never reviewed my story, feel free to! Anonymous reviews are available. Even a simple 'Good work' will make my day =) And criticisms well… a little too late but I'll earnestly read them nevertheless =P


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